My neighbourhood team knocked off Barça (u-19)

[Unnamed Trialist]

 

 

Just to see the enthusiasm.

This is the Regional U-19 Cup, quarter finals, against the u-19 B of Barça, which are the younger u-19s, still a premium team. 0-0 after 90 and penalties, last Saturday eve.

My local team is the APA (Parent-Teacher Association) Poble Sec, literally started by the PTA over 20 years ago. My kid played for them, I coached one year. The senior team is in 7th tier, so this is by far the weakest club in the competition. The stadium is just up the hill from where I live, it is actually an extremely small pitch. These u-19s won their division vs clubs in 3rd and 4th tier Spain, and have promoted into the same division as the Barça B u-19s.

 

[Unnamed Trialist]

They did the draw for semis: my local kids go up against Espanyol u-19s, at home next Sunday. Playing two world class teams in a week, great challenge.

[Unnamed Trialist]

Today these same local u19 boys beat Espanyol.

So I've been following these kids this season, in their first year in the National u-19 Division, which is 2nd tier u19, playing B teams of pro clubs and others very strong. They are last, won 3 and lost 11. Today went against the Espanyol B u-19 team, all premium players headed for elite careers. The team arrives with like 7 coaches, physios, club observers, all the injured kids in casts and whatnot; the bench isn't big enough for them. On a late corner they went up 2-1, about 500 spectators, a lot of them immigrant teens from my working class neighbourhood.

They actually had to spend home 3 matches this year playing 30 km away, because in those celebrations on the videos above, some fans were whacking the despondent Barça players. 

The point I think is that if you don't compete straight up, you can't know. If Canada had a u-19 at Espanyol, like Koleosho was, our other top teens, we'd be following them carefully. But then, because we don't have elite u19 competition back home, we never get to see those lesser clubs forcing the bigger ones, so that the talents could rise to the fore. Not having competitive youth tiers, with a broad base, means you can con yourself into thinking the Caps and TFC and Impact academies are a priori better. And never get to see some rival club challenge them and prove the superiority wrong.